Wednesday 7 June (am)

Wednesday 7 June (am)

Wednesday saw the conference open its first full day of plenary and concurrent sessions,with ministerial addresses, emotional keynotes, and valuable Q&A discussions.

Wednesday Morning Plenary

The opening Plenary Session of the 2017 Parent Engagement Conference on Wednesday 7 June, featuring Senator for SA and Minister for Education and Training, the Honourable Simon Birmingham and keynotes from Dr Debbie Pushor and Steve Moneghetti AM.

Senator The Honourable Simon Birmingham

Minister Birmingham stressed that parental and family factors are not just some add-on to student success, but are at the core and centre of it. Watch his address as part of the Wednesday morning plenary above and download a transcript of his speech. Simon Birmingham Bio | Download PDF (49KB)

Dr Debbie Pushor

Debbie is a Professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. In her program of research, Debbie has engaged in narrative inquiries into parent knowledge and into parent engagement and leadership. On Wednesday morning, Dr Pushor's keynote addressed "The Critical Use of Parent Knowledge in the Engagement of Parents", shifting the emphasis in schooling from parent involvement to parent engagement.Debbie Pushor Bio | Download PDF (5MB) | Download PDF with video (396MB)

Steve Moneghetti

Stephen James "Steve" Moneghetti is a renowned long-distance runner and physical health consultant. He has a degree in civil engineering, a graduate diploma in education, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Ballarat. Towards the end of the conference's Wednesday morning plenary session, Steve spoke on "Sport’s contribution to child development: Why parent engagement is crucial", which you can see in the video above from 1hr 13m.Steve Moneghetti Bio